On Wednesdays, We Betray Each Other
by LilithKills
Summary: Okumura Yukio's well-guarded secrets are being threatened. As he does everything in his power to prevent his exposure, he runs into old friends and old enemies. The most prominent of which is Shiratori Reiji. This is a tie-in with my other series "The Daily Verse." (Re-edited and Re-posted, with all-new chapters on the way!)
1. Day One

**Day One**

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 **4:00 AM**

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 _Get up. It's time to start the day._

He got up quickly, where others would be in a daze, Yukio did not falter. He moved with purpose. Everything in order. His order. There was no time to waste. He had to catch up on his classes. A drawback of being in the Special Intensive Program was that he got twice the workload of a regular student. That is not even mentioning that the material they were going over is the equivalent of a college course. The first year representative cannot slack. It would be unseemly.

 _Yu-Keru. Yu-keru. Where did I leave it?_

He quickly scanned the room until he found what he was looking for. The bottle lied next to varied pain medications and gauze pads; just to right of small glass bottles labelled 'cold medicine' and his phone. The energy drink that got him through his days, without it he shuddered to think what his days would be like. It was a godsend. He smiled, gratefully remembering how early he got to bed yesterday- 11:30 pm. It had been a blissfully easy day.

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 **4:03 AM**

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With targeted swiftness, he chugged his Yu-keru and collected his textbooks. He walked towards the closet and grabbed his uniform. It was without a single wrinkle. Cleanliness is close to Godliness, Father Fujimoto told him that. Looking back he wondered if he meant it, maybe he was talking just to put him at ease.

 _No, time to think._

 _Time to shower._

He began to walk towards the door when he paused by the desk. His face hardened. It was an almost imperceivable change. His eyes grew unfocused and his sight seemed to gaze a thousand meters away.

Twitching, his left hand collected the cold medicine and he began to depart to go to the shower. Before he had made it out of the room he threw a glance back towards Rin who remained sound asleep. Rin was sprawled across his bed in a laid-back fashion. A light smiled spread across his face. He looked so peaceful, he looked so calm. He was only a few feet away, but he was nowhere near him.

Nii-san you are miles away. It's better like that.

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 **4:10 AM**

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Rapid strides got him to the shower at an appropriate time. He was on schedule. Placing his belongings under a sink, he began to discard his sleepwear. The shock that came with the rushing water was a relief. His entire body ached and his eyes strained. The wash of numbness was welcomed. The cold seemed to stall his mind, bringing his frantic mind to halt for a few sweet drawn out seconds. He was on schedule. A few extra minutes won't hurt.

 _I have time._

 _Not enough, not if you want to do everything._

Shaking his head he banished the thought. He placed his hands on the tiles of the wall and bent his head so the stream of water would hit his neck directly. Muscle by muscle, the ache in his body began to alleviate. The ache in his bones, that stayed exactly where it was. He was alert, yet exhausted. A fantasy ran through his head, a moot one. It was of him skipping school, disappearing off for the day without telling anyone. It was a plan he had thought of many nights. A plan that he reformulated and tweaked- again and again- when the days got longer and sleep stopped bringing him rest.

It was a simple plan. Rin slept like a rock, nothing shook him from his sleep. He recalled once having a horrible nightmare. The sensation of falling overtook his senses and caused adrenaline to course through his veins. He damn near cracked the floor with how hard he landed. He managed to catch himself, he did not fall, but he did make a sound. Rin had to have felt the movement. He had to, but he gave no indication of being even remotely conscious. He just stood there in the dead of night feeling frightfully alive.

If he left like normal, Rin wouldn't notice a thing. He never missed a day of school, so it wouldn't look terrible. Everyone gets sick. If anyone asked he had a cold, no...he had a fever. He was burning up. Cram school, was another matter though, his brother would definitely notice if he didn't show up. He was the teacher after all. He imagined the confused look on Rin's face as the clock ticked forward and yet never brought him. The confusion would turn into a joke about him always taking his time, feeling like he was more important than the others and so they could wait. The joke would turn into a jog to their shared room, then to the shooting gallery, but then what? Okumura Yukio would be nowhere to be found.

Where could he be? What happened to him? Flying past his eyes were the faces of the other cram students. The hardworking Suguro, who took class deadly serious. He would be irritated that his time was being wasted and he was not getting closer to his dream. The concerned look of Konekomaru, who would likely be the first to worry and suspect something was wrong. Next, was the smiling face of Shima, laughing along at Rin's joke showing no indication of thinking any differently. He would be the second to know something was different, but the only one likely to figure out what he had done. Moriyama would be worried and start trading theories with Rin, trying to rationalize his absence. She would be so confused, even if he explained it to her she wouldn't understand, neither would Rin. Takara wouldn't care. He would just sit back and watch. Izumo would be impatient and call the others idiots for rushing to outlandish conclusions when it became clear he wasn't going to show up she would join Rin and Moriyama. Mephisto would know he was gone within fifteen minutes. It would be impossible for him to stay gone long.

It would be a real inconvenience, their concern, if not a bit touching. This problem though would be easily remedied by leaving on a day where they had a different class. He could arrange it the day before. He could pawn them off on Shura or some other first-year teacher. They could do work on their practical physical education classes. They wouldn't have time to notice his absence until noon. If he played it right he could even fly under Mephisto's radar. Be gone and back before anyone noticed.

 _Mephisto would notice._

What could he do?

 _Why am I considering things that are impossible?_

 _Leaving has never been an option._

He turned the knob easing off the water. If he lingered a bit, he wouldn't think of it again. He got out of the shower and changed into his uniform. Without a single thought, he marched off to the shooting gallery.

The gallery has its own locker room: blue and grey lockers line the wall. They vary in size ranging from small, for those who only want a place to put whatever items they might have on hand or in their pockets, to medium for those who want to put in a small bag along with their weapons of choice, and large lockers for duffle bags and backpacks and weapons of large size. With strong steps that seemed to get louder and harder with each step, he approached his locker. A modest blue locker, enough to fit a change of clothes, his guns, and if need be a backpack.

He took out his guns and headed for the shooting area. There lined up directly in front of him about 20 feet away were three human shaped targets. He unloaded three rounds within quick secession of each other, easily within the span of thirty seconds, they all hit dead in the centre.

 _Decent._

He did a few more secessions with a nonmoving target from different distances, before feeling that there was no more improvement taking place.

 _I hit every target, but I'm too slow. I need to get faster...stronger._

He was about to make his way over to the ball range when his phone rang. It was an alarm.

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 **5:00 AM**

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 _Time to work out._

He quickly left the shooting gallery. He walked with his legs stiff and straight. On anyone else this would have looked like the walk of a man about to lay a beat down on some poor unfortunate soul, but not on him. No, on Yukio this looked dignified and gallant, less like a general off to war and more like a prince off to rally the troops. If any of his classmates were to pass them he would smile and greet them, with a smile so dazzling it would make them forget any inconsistencies they noticed. Okumura Yukio was seamlessly put together.

Though, he was slower than when he made his way to the shooting gallery from the shower and more likely than not he would be slower when left the gym.

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 **6:00 AM**

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He was walking, but it was a staggered walk. The steps were coming down heavily. One could hear him down the hallway, his arrival sounding off like war drums.

Step-step-step-step Dun-dun-dun-dun

This wasn't acceptable. This was intimidating. This was forceful. This was pathetic. There was a lag, his steps wavered for just a few seconds too long.

What did he look like?

He knew what he felt like, a stack of bricks in tightly buttoned uniform. His muscles ached, his head was clear from the exercise, but he could sense himself starting to go foggy. He felt rush of dysphoria slam into him knocking the air out of his lungs. He had to get to a bathroom.

Dun-dun-dun Dun-dun-dun-dun

Gunshots, his quick steps had turned into gunshots firing off in the dawn. He flew down the corridor in a blaze of gunfire. He only slowed down once the bathroom was in sight. He dove in like a soldier ducking into the trenches to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

He looked into the mirror and wanted to scream. He wanted to slam his fist into the mirror until it was so thoroughly covered in blood that he couldn't see himself anymore. He looked pallid, the colour had drained from his face, the only pigment that seemed capable of staying on his face were the black rings that seemed to have made a home for themselves under his eyes. The worst part though was his eyes. His eyes were wide with the look of madness.

He looked like he had seen a ghost. HA. HAHA.

An ugly laughter filled his chest. Who was he gonna call? Control slipped away from him for a moment and at that moment the bathroom filled with a frantic laughter.

He had no one to call. The only person he ever could have called was the same person who pitted him against the ghosts in the first place.

 _Deal with it. You weak snivelling coward. They are never going to go away and you are never going to be able to get away from them._

Like a rubber band stretched too wide, Yukio snapped back together. He regained his composure. He took a moment to assess his heavy body and look into the mirror until his pupils shrunk back to a normal size. Then he slipped his hand into his pocket. He pulled out some Yu-keru. Without much thought, he chugged a good portion of it. He continued to stare himself down in the mirror.

 _I can't show my face like this._

He imagined the reaction his classmates would have to his current appearance. The look of pity in their eyes once they were reminded of their Rep.'s poor health. It would come as no surprise since he had health problems since middle school. He always left class early. Their poor, poor Rep.

 _Pathetic._

He splashed some warm water oh his face before meticulously wiping himself down with a paper towel. Then as hard as he could he began pinching his cheeks. It was painful the first time he did it, but he liked the result. The slightest bit of colour returned to his face. He didn't look anaemic anymore, or at least like the anaemia was that bad. He went in a second time. This time applying even more pressure. The results were even more pronounced, but he still looked like he might pass out. He went in a third time. While he clasped his checks hard between his first finger and his thumb he wondered if it was possible that he could tear a chunk of his face off. It felt like he could. Once he had lost all feeling in his face he erased himself in the mirror. Finally, he looked like a healthy young man, if not one with a slight blush.

In fact, he looked all most plastic, like he was a mannequin.

 _Good, a model student should look inhuman. Let them all strive to match up to me._

The library had such a pleasant smell. It was an old and settled smell, like the smell of the monastery. The library felt like it had stood there from the beginning of time and would stand there long after.

It felt like an oasis in the loud desert that was True Cross Academy. Yukio closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He could hear only his own breathing. If he turned his head around there wasn't a single soul to be found. He was on the highest floor his legs could carry him to.

 _Focus._

He had two days worth of homework to catch up on. There was the eight-page long essay on the Meiji era. It was due two days from now. He didn't expect to have too many problems with it as long as he could find the time to get it done. Then there was his calculus homework, which he was five days behind on.

...

He was good at it. Yukio shined in all his math classes. He was like the northern star; he leads the class in grade point average. Yet, here he was with no time to get his work done. What would the class think? That he couldn't do it? That the Rep. might not be as smart as they all thought he was? Maybe he shouldn't even be the First Year Representative then if he was so dimwitted!

Underneath the table where his hands were, Yukio's knuckles had turned starch white. The colour of death its self. So, he had to start pinching his knuckles too.

 _Breathe. Breathe. Breathe._

There was time. He could make time. He just had to think. What could he move around in his schedule to allow him to get caught up? During the day? It's no good. Missing class would draw unwanted attention to him. His classmates would buzz around him like wasps the next day stinging him with questions. Perhaps in the evenings? No, that wouldn't work either. He had to teach, prepare future lesson plans, grade assignments. The only thing that would come from putting that work off would be him getting even farther behind. Later in the evening? Work. Work. Work. At Night? That could work! He was averaging four hours a night, but if he just trimmed it down to two hours from now until the weekend that could allow him to get caught up. There was only one problem...His hand twitched and he became acutely aware of the weight in his pockets.

There were remedies for all types of problems these days.

...

He'd get it done. Somehow: he would get it done.

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 **7:00 AM**

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School started at eight. He had to be fast if he wanted to get this done without his absence being noticed. The air was burning across his face. It felt like he was breaking brittle panes of glass when he walked and the shards were scratching against his cheeks. He had been all over downtown looking for a high tower. His training had been...stagnating for a few days now. He had so many questions and was frustratingly short on answers. The only option if he could not find answers was to solve the problem himself. That meant experiments and he was the lab rat.

Quickly, but brutally he rubbed his left eye.

His search for isolation had brought him to Kinko's Shopping Center. Named after it's founder, Kin Komatsu, Kinko's was a shopping mall that went under during the recession that hit Tokyo following a tragic earthquake. It's highest towers never got around to being fixed. Apparently, the new owners forgot about the land or just didn't care enough to do anything with it.

If one thought too hard about it this place would be impossible to look at. It was the ruins of someone's dreams, of their hard work. They lost everything. While the people who have everything forgot they even had it. Why? because they don't need to remember.

His steps were awkward as he made his way over debris and shards of glass that could easily slice through his shoes, but Yukio did not falter as he cleared away through the literal and figurative ruins of the shopping mall. Eventually, he found what he was looking for; A high tower. Well, it was more of a Ferris wheel. Not the large kind he saw at the amusement park, but rather the miniature versions one would find in a shopping mall. Obviously.

He made his way to the top of the Ferris wheel slowly. _Quickly_ , he made it to the top quickly. At least he would have if he was a normal high school student, but he wasn't. He was first class exorcist Okumura Yukio and he could have gotten to the top much faster if it wasn't for his damn tired body. He felt like he was trying to climb to the top in wet clothes.

When he got to the top he was disappointed. The Ferris wheel was high enough that it would definitely crack a few bones if he jumped, but it didn't present the risk he needed if he was going to force his eyes to spark. Still, it wasn't a complete waste. At the very least this was a start. Kinko's was incredibly secluded. It was considered dangerous, due to the debris. Therefore, no one ever came anywhere near it. It would be a good place to launch his new training program full throttle with no fear of interruption.

For a few moments, Yukio stood quite at the top of the Ferris wheel. Staring deep into the ground beneath him. The look in his eyes was as if the ground was just going to swallow him up.

CRACK

 _What was that?!_

Without skipping a beat Yukio had both his guns drawn out in front of him as he searched the surrounding area for the source of the noise. He didn't have to search far as he quickly spotted the culprit.

Directly below him, staring up at him with big eyes was the Student Council Vice President of True Cross Academy —Inoue Reo.

 _Inoue-Senpai!_

Yukio quickly put his guns away and began to scramble down the Ferris wheel.

 _Shit! This isn't good. I've done everything in my power to keep my secrets for my classmates. If Inoue-Senpai gives me away than all the work I've done since I was seven years old will be for nothing. I'll be exposed!_

By the time he made it down to the ground, his heartbeat was completely erratic, but his face was smooth and friendly. Not that it mattered, because by the time he reached the ground there was no one there. He was alone again.

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 **7:30 AM**

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The walk back to school was a long one. Yukio didn't want anyone to know where he had been- especially Mephisto. Though the reality of the situation was the Mephisto would find out sooner rather than later, but still, it never hurt to try and buy himself some time. So, he went to the school and took the long way around and entered through the back.

His sweat was gathering at his underarm despite the cold morning. Before he entered through the back gates he pulled out a moist towelette and began to wipe the sweat off his forehead and neck. He made sure to follow up with a fresh coat of deodorant under his arms. No one would be able to tell he went anywhere at all this morning, let alone jogged back. No one...except for one person.

Yukio was walking in through the southern entrance when he heard the train whistle go off in the distance. For a moment he turned his head and gazed gently off into the direction of the train.

His gaze was broken by the first ringing of the bell: class was going to begin.

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Chapter Notes:

Hello, again! How are you?

I'm ahead of schedule with this post. That's good because I am about to become very busy with work and summer school, so the sooner I get this out the better. There is a lot to go back over with this work especially, it's longer than all my other works put together, despite it only being six chapters long. It makes me happy to be working on it again though, I forgot how much work I had put into this series. I have so many ideas for _The Daily Verse Universe_ you guys don't even know! I have a lot of fun surprises for you guys, once I get farther along with this series.

All that being said, I'm looking for a temporary Beta reader to help edit the rest of the original chapters. I can do it myself, of course, but it's a lot of work to do and I'd rather just focus on finishing and polishing the new chapters. If you're interested feel free to reach out and PM me! I'm looking for someone who is reliable and good with English and grammar. Also, someone who can get back to me with their notes pretty quickly. 

I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading! I have you have a marvellous day!

333333


	2. Day One - Morning

**Day One - Morning**

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His stride was even and confident: it was like watching a boat sail over calm seas. He was clean cut and put together-and he knew it.

That's why, even now, there was nothing to draw attention to him other than his status. Still, though, he liked to err on the side of caution. Every bathroom break, every time he saw his reflection, every time he was about to enter a room he took stock of himself.

 _Clothes, clean. Walk, smooth. Smile, warm. Face, hmmm...I don't know what I look like right now._

A few days ago he had overheard Rin and Moriyama talking. They were beginning to catch on that he was putting up a little more distance than usual. That would mean trouble. Extra attention was not what he needed right now.

Moriyama had put it together by taking note of his smile. A smile with open eyes was genuine. A smile with his eyes closed was forced. He didn't even know he was doing it. That was the trick. There was simply no way to account for all the involuntary or sudden movements of the face.

With that in mind, he put extra effort into keeping his eyes open as he smiled.

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 **1st Class - Japanese**

"Class today we will be doing self-study," said Yamada-sensei as she shuffled her papers. "I will be in my office preparing the paperwork for our upcoming field trip. Please behave yourselves until the end of class. Okumura, I will trust you to keep watch over the class."

"Yes, Ma'am. Please leave it to me," Yukio said as he smiled serenely-he made sure it was a serene smile.

"I will. Work hard everyone," Yamada-sensei said as she exited the room.

The classroom was dead quiet until they could no longer hear Yamada-sensei's footsteps. Then the classroom erupted with conversation and the screech of desks being moved to form groups. Soon the entire class was separated into small groups. All except for Yukio. He sat alone.

He wasn't disturbed by it. In fact, it was somewhat amusing to him.

 _Well, I steered my boat onto a lone island._

His solitude; However, did not go unchallenged. It took about five minutes after everyone was settled for a small group of girls to approach him.

"Okumura! How are you?" said a girl with blunt black bangs.

"Okumura, if you're eating alone at lunch again, you're more than welcomed to join us," requested a girl with long light brown curly hair.

"Okumura! Come and sit with us!" called out a girl with a short bob and flowers adorning her hair.

 _Here we go...again._

"Kashino, Nishiwaki, Omoto, Good morning. Thank you for your offers, but you know that I like to study by myself. It's nothing personal. I just get more work done when I'm by myself."

 _Eyes open. Keep your eyes open._

Yukio's smile was easy and his eyes were steady behind his glasses. They were twitching though.

"Good Morning, Okumura. You're always working so hard. A break wouldn't kill you. Come on! Come and sit with us," said Kashino with a determined and strong stare. Her arms crossed firmly across her chest.

"Ha. That may be true, but keep in mind that my work ethic is how I became the First Year Representative in the first place."

"That's true! You are very hardworking. That's part of what makes you so cool, but everyone needs a break. Come and sit with us. You're always alone. It's not good for you."

 _I've heard this somewhere before..._

"That's true, but I have quite a bit of a work to get through today."

 _Shit. That's right. For a moment, I actually forgot. I have to finish that essay on the Meiji era and get caught up on my calculus homework...not to mention I have to think about what to do about Inoue-Senpai._

"Okumura, you can still do your work while we sit together. We won't disturb you. If anything, we could even help you if you need."

Kashino went from looking determined to looking sulky. Her lips were pouted and her eyebrows were tilted inward. She looked like a child that didn't get the extra snacks she wanted.

"Thank you, truly. I appreciate the offer, but I'm more than capable of getting caught up on my own."

"Hm. Caught up, are you behind on your work?"

 _Stupid. I am so stupid. what a careless mistake. I can't let what happened with Inoue-senpai rattle me._

"Of course not. I was referring to the work I have with the student council."

"What work? The student council was only recently assembled. Didn't you even say in an interview you did with The Daily Verse that you haven't even met with the other council members yet?" Interrupted Nishiwaki. Her eyebrows were waving. Her left eyebrow was raised in a high arc, while the other was dipping toward the right. She wasn't quite frowning, but she was not, not frowning either.

"You're right. I did say that. I didn't realize that interview had gotten published already. I meant the work I'm going to be presenting to the student council when we first meet." Yukio said gently.

"It's not a problem if you're behind in your classes. You have a lot going on. It can't be easy being the top student and the First Year Representative at the same time. That's a big workload for anyone," said Omoto out of nowhere.

Up until now, she had been passively overhearing the conversation with no intention to join in, well, at least it seemed that way. He was wrong. People were not his forte.

"Omoto, please! Don't be rude like that to Okumura. If he says he's doing work for the student council than that's what he's doing. Don't forget. He's the top student: not only in our class but in our entire school year. There's no way he'd be behind in his classwork!"

Kashino all of a sudden moved. She went from staring straight at Yukio to getting in between him and Omoto. Her back was to him and she was no longer pouting. Her arms were folded against her chest again and now she was staring straight at Omoto.

"You're taking for granted how much work he's probably taking on. Being First Year Rep. isn't a cushy job. It's a lot of work and it's on top of whatever other work he's doing."

Omoto seemed completely unfazed by Kashino's body language.

"Anyways, that's just even more reason for you to come and sit with us, Okumura. If there is anything we can help you with we will. Don't underestimate us. After all, we're in the Special Intensive class too."

 _...she recognized how much work I'm doing._

For a moment Yukio didn't respond. He eyes stopped twitching and became softer.

"That is incredibly kind of you. Omoto, please know, that I don't underestimate any of you. You are my peers and my equals I never forget that. I really do appreciate the offer, but I am trying to get ahead of my work. It's like you said, I have a lot on my plate. So, for the time being, I'll take a rain check."

"He doesn't want to sit with us."

 _Huh?_

All of a sudden Omoto mirrored how Kashino had looked just a few moments ago. Her posture, which was sticking straight and focused before, had become slack and dejected looking. Her mouth twisted into a frown and her eyes fell downward to meet the floor.

"That-That's not true! He's just busy. Right, Okumura?"

"Right, Kashino. I would-"

"He hates us. We're a burden to him. We're annoying him even by talking to him."

 _Whats happening? How did the atmosphere get this bad this quickly? I need to get control of the situation._

"I would gladly sit with you ladies anytime. It's just like I said, with all the work I have to do it's better for me to get as much done as possible as soon as possible. It really isn't personal. I could never hate any of you. You're my classmates."

"Classmates, but not you're friends."

 _Omoto,_ she-she's _turning my own words against me._

"I'll take a rain check then. When I'm not busy I'll definitely sit with you guys!"

 _Please. Please, just accept it. I'm trying to be nice here._

"It's always the same with you Okumura. You've been taking a rain check with us since the beginning of the semester. Is Omoto right? Do you really not want to spend time with us?"

 _Kashino, not you too!_

Kashino had turned around and was facing him again. Now she was directly aligned with Omoto. They're body posture also matched now. They were slumped over staring at the floor. They looked like someone told them their cat had gotten run over.

"You guys are being too overdramatic."

 _Nishiwaki!_

"Okumura has proven himself to be very diligent. After all, he is the First Year Rep. If he says he's busy then he is busy. There is no use in trying to make him feel bad for doing what he has to do."

 _I've been saved._

"Right. Thank you, Nishiwaki. I'm glad you understand. I would really like to spend more time with you guys. I just need to get ahead of the curve."

Yukio's back had gotten ramrod straight throughout the conversation and his fingers were clawing at his thigh under his desk.

"I understand completely Okumura. I really admire you for your hard work ethic."

"Thank you."

Yukio let out a quiet sigh of relief.

 _Damn it!_ _Please tell me they didn't notice that._

"He's sighing because he's gotten out of sitting with us."

 _Omoto! What did I do to you? I'm just trying to mind my own business!_

"It's true. He really doesn't want anything to do with us."

 _Haven't we just had this conversation, Kashino? Nishiwaki, please, talk some sense into your friends._

"Calm down. Okumura wants to spend time with us. He just can't."

 _Nishiwaki, thank you!_

"That's right."

"Then how about joining us for lunch?"

"What?"

"If you're really not behind in your classes then you don't need much time to get ahead of your work, right?"

 _I can't say no._

"Right. I'll probably be done soon."

"Great! Then please eat with us. We'd really love that!"

"That sounds like a great idea! I'll take you up on that."

 _Please, just leave me be._

"Really?!"

"Really?!"

Kashino and Omoto perked up in unison. Their eyes darted up from the floor and met his. He wanted to avert his eyes, but, of course, he didn't. He couldn't come off as rude. It would spread through the entire class and threaten all the work he had put into building a good reputation for himself.

"Really. I'll see you guys then."

 _I agreed. I agreed, now leave me alone. Please!_

"See you then Okumura. Kashino, Omoto, let's leave him to finish his work. If we don't he won't get it done and he'll have to work through lunch."

 _There's an idea..._

"Then we'll have to have this whole conversation all over again tomorrow. "

 _I can't win._

"Alright then! Let's leave Okumura to work then! We look forward to seeing you then."

Kashino returned to her original self only...happier looking? She looped arms with Omoto and Nishiwaki and began to walk away back to their desks, but not before throwing him one last smile.

Once he was finally alone his posture finally slipped. He felt his eyes beginning to narrow and his eyebrows beginning to contract inward. Underneath the table, his hands were squeezing his thighs with even greater intensity. He needs to hide his face, so he angled his body away from his classmates and looked out towards the window.

 _I completely lost control of that situation. How pathetic am I? I let a bunch of attention seeking girls back me up into a corner. Damn it!_

He took a deep breath in and did his best to smooth out his face. If anyone saw it then he'd have a lot more problems to deal with and he already had enough of those. He calmed down and felt the muscles in his face loosen up and fall back into their modified neutral position. Quickly and discreetly he threw a glance over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen his little...ugh, episode.

Thankfully, it seemed like no one had noticed. As he gazed around the room he noted that while people were indeed sitting with their friends they were also getting a good amount of work done. The classroom was also fairly quiet. Which was good because it meant he didn't have to focus his energy on policing them.

To Yukio's chagrin, he noticed that the girls, particularly Kashino, Nishiwaki, and Omoto, were all especially bubbly. The girls in question were all of a sudden at the centre of a large cluster of girls who were now presumably whispering about his newly established lunch plans.

 _There is no one to blame. I let them get the better of me._

 _Ignore it._

 _I have to rearrange my plans now._

Originally, he had been planning to get as much of his homework done as possible between classes and through lunch. That way he could just focus on his Exorcist and teaching work. Now he had effectively lost the time at lunch that he was counting on. That meant he had to speed it up and get as much as possible done-right now.

 _It's not a real blow. If I can just get through my calculus homework now. I can get the Meiji paper done after cram school, assuming I don't get an assignment from the True Cross or Mephisto._

He wasn't panicking, but he felt very disappointed. There were other things he wanted to get done today.

 _I'm not going to be able to get back to Kinko's today. Although, maybe that's a blessing in disguise. I still need to get to Inoue-senpai and ask him about what he thought he saw. I need to come up with a story; convince him that I was just exploring or something. If I can't then I'm going to have to find a new place to train._

That would be a real inconvenience. He couldn't stray so far away from the academy. He had work to do: work as a student, work as a teacher, work as an exorcist. He was on call for everyone.

His mind then flashed to the train.

 _It could be so easy. I wouldn't have to deal with all this anymore..._

 _Coward. What a great coward, am I._

 _Focus._

 _I need to get this done. I'm already so far behind. I can't afford to dig myself an even bigger hole._

The class was talking quietly again. Yukio did his best to ignore the girls whispering about him. When the class got still again. He looked up from his work and instantly knew what caused the dead silence.

With great stealth, the students moved their desks back into proper order and looked as if they were pretending with all their might that they had never moved at all.

The only sound anyone could hear anymore was the footsteps steadily making their way towards the class.

Yukio wasn't interested.

 _I have to get through this. I can get at least most of my calculus homework done this class, as long as I don't get distracted anymore._

"Okumura."

Yamada-sensei had reappeared in the class. She beckoned for him to follow her.

 _Of course._

Once they were in the hallway she began to inform him about a new student that was going to be joining the class.

"He was supposed to start at the beginning of the year; the same time as the rest of you, but it seems he came down with an illness that prevented him from coming to school."

"That's terrible. I assume he's recovered?"

" It would seem so. He looks healthy, to me at least. Anyway, he's missed two months of school there is no doubt that he is gonna struggle to get caught up, so I'm assigning you to keep an eye on him and support him in any way you can."

 _More work._

Without thinking he gripped the small bottles in his pocket.

"I'd be happy to."

Yukio caught his reflection in the mirror; he was smiling with his eyes open.

 _He was getting better._

"This isn't too much work for you, is it? I know that you have many responsibilities as it is."

Yamada-sensei's voice was soft and sympathetic. She was the considerate type, she was always trying to make sure he was taking care of himself. She was a favourite of his as far as the teachers were concerned. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she has influenced the type of teacher he tried to be in cram school.

"Of course it's not. I have plenty of time and I'm always happy to help out whenever I can."

"That's good to hear! I really do appreciate all of your hard work. Keep it up!"

"Ha. I will!"

They shared a smile between the two of them.

They made their way to the teacher's room. That's where all the teachers had their own cubicles and did whatever paperwork they had to do.

As they approached Yamada-sensei's cubicle Yukio noticed a tuff of pale purple hair sticking up from the top. When they turned the corner there was a boy there. He was so distinctive of look that there was no mistaking him for anyone else. He had a piercing on his bottom lip and two piercings at the top inward edges of his eyebrows.

It hit Yukio instantly who he was staring at. It was Shiratori Reiji.

He looked up at him and grinned.

"Yo."


End file.
